Podcasts
Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Chef Vida Virgillito of the Gone Loco Spicy Food Truck, Long Beach
Segment Three: Restaurateur Sylvie Gabriele, Love & Salt, Manhattan Beach, 10 Days of RE:Her 2022
Segment Four: Michael Larner, Winemaker & Vineyard Manager, Larner Vineyard & Winery, Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley Part One
Segment Five: Michael Larner, Winemaker & Vineyard Manager, Larner Vineyard & Winery, Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley Part Two
Segment Six: Darley Newman, Travel Journalist, PBS’ “Travels with Darley” Part One
Segment Seven: Darley Newman, Travel Journalist, PBS’ “Travels with Darley” Part Two
Segment Eight: Chef & Co-Host Andrew Gruel of Slapfish with “Ask the Chef”
We’re previewing the show with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris.
“The city-wide inaugural Long Beach Black Restaurant Week will take place January 23-30, 2022. Long Beach Black Restaurant Week will be a platform to bring everyone to the table, from all walks of life, to showcase the city’s diverse Black food scene. Long Black Restaurant Week will be an eight-day event devoted to celebrating African, African American, and Caribbean fare in and around Long Beach. The event also seeks to highlight Black-owned food businesses as well as Black chefs and bartenders.” A participating food truck is Chef Vida Virgillito’s Gone Loco Spicy Food Truck. It’s the first certified rolling grill in Long Beach that features a menu of all spicy foods. You choose your preferred level of spice ranging from “Tame” to “Insane.” All the hot sauces and special seasonings are Chef Vida’s own creations. They are vegan and vegetarian options on the Gone Loco menu. Chef Vida takes a break from the rolling grill and joins us with spatula in hand.
“Women restaurateurs from across Los Angeles have created a new charitable organization called RE:Her. Its debut 2021 initiative, a food festival called 10 Days RE:Her, featured 10 days of unique collaborations, thematic menus, and one-on-one conversations between female industry leaders. Over 100 restaurants and collaborators were involved. 10 Days RE:Her 2022 will launch in the coming months.
Restaurateur Sylvie Gabriele (a 2nd generation Restaurateur) of Manhattan Beach’s Love & Salt is one of the organizers of the upcoming Festival as well as serves on the active RE:Her board. Sylvie takes a break from her restaurant to preview the upcoming “10 Days RE:Her 2022” events and report on all the ongoing philanthropic activities of Regarding:Her.
Larner Vineyard & Winery established in Ballard Canyon in 1999 is truly a family affair run by two generations of the Larner Family. It’s a California Certified Organically farmed estate. Tradition and passion guide the meticulous farming of 34 acres of Rhone varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier as well as the Italian variety, Malvasia Bianca. Limited annual productions of handcrafted quality wines define this boutique winery. The Tasting Room is in historic Los Olivos adjacent to the Los Olivos General Store. Winemaker & Vineyard Manager Michael Larner is our guest to gently pull the cork on all that is Larner Vineyard & Winery.
“Travel fans can journey across the USA on epic trails and fascinating road trips featuring history, heritage, food and culture with the new, 9th season of “Travels with Darley,” launching on PBS stations January 2022. Six new episodes bring the series to a total of 51 half hours.” “There are so many great places to discover right in our own backyards! With the pandemic, I wanted to highlight destinations within the USA, like our national parks and forests, that are perfect for social distancing, as well as trails and road trip routes that share important history and heritage,” said Darley Newman, the series host and creator. “I’m particularly excited about our Alabama’s Civil Rights Trail episodes in the lead up to Black History Month. I was able to interview activists and artists who lived through the Civil Rights movement, many of whom have never had their stories filmed, making the content truly special.” Roving travel authority Darley Newman joins us.
Our own Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant Group provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where Chef Andrew responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries. It’s the start of yet another challenging year for chefs and restaurants. We’ll get an informed update on the current state of affairs for chefs and restaurants.
Is more Federal aid for small, independent restaurants even a possibility?
All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!
“The city-wide inaugural Long Beach Black Restaurant Week will take place January 23-30, 2022. Long Beach Black Restaurant Week will be a platform to bring everyone to the table, from all walks of life, to showcase the city’s diverse Black food scene. Organized by Long Beach Food & Beverage, a California registered 501(c)3 non-profit, along with Velika Turner, former co-owner of Derricks on Atlantic, Long Black Restaurant Week will be an eight day event devoted to celebrating African, African American, and Caribbean fare in and around Long Beach. The event also seeks to highlight Black-owned food businesses as well as Black chefs and bartenders.”
A participating food truck is Chef Vida Virgillito’s Gone Loco Spicy Food Truck. It’s the first certified rolling grill in Long Beach that features a menu of all spicy foods. You choose your preferred level of spice ranging from “Tame” to “Insane.” All the hot sauces and special seasonings are Chef Vida’s creations. They are vegan and vegetarian options on the Gone Loco menu.
Popular menu items include My Chick Bangin’ Sandwich with a spicy chicken breast (grilled or fried,) spicy house aioli, spicy pickles, lettuce and tomato; and Mom’s Grilled PB&PJ Sammie with pepper jelly and peanut butter on grilled artisan bread. The onion rings have a special seasoning that elevates the taste and flavor.
Chef Vida takes a break from the rolling grill and joins us with spatula in hand.
“Women restaurateurs from across Los Angeles have created a new charitable organization called RE:Her. Its debut 2021 initiative, a food festival called 10 Days RE:Her, featured 10 days of unique collaborations, thematic menus, and one-on-one conversations between female industry leaders. 10 Days RE:Her kicked off on January 21, 2021 the anniversary of the groundbreaking Women’s March of 2017, and ran through Saturday, January 30. Over 100 restaurants and collaborators were involved. 10 Days RE:Her 2022 will launch in the coming months.
Restaurateur Sylvie Gabriele (a 2nd generation Restaurateur) of Manhattan Beach’s Love & Salt is one of the organizers of the upcoming Festival as well as serves on the active RE:Her board. Sylvie takes a break from her restaurant to preview the upcoming “10 Days RE:Her 2022” events and report on all the ongoing philanthropic activities of Regarding:Her.
Larner Vineyard & Winery established in Ballard Canyon in 1999 is truly a family affair operated by two generations of the Larner Family. It’s a California Certified Organically farmed estate. Tradition and passion guide the meticulous farming of 34 acres of Rhone varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier as well as the Italian variety, Malvasia Bianca. Limited annual productions of handcrafted quality wines define this boutique winery.
The Larner Vineyard & Winery Tasting Room is located in historic downtown Los Olivos and is open daily. Winemaker and Vineyard Manager Michael Larner’s wife, Christina, is the Retail Manager and also runs the adjacent Los Olivos General Store.
“Driven to find a family property they could all share in winemaking, founders Christine and Stevan Larner came to the Santa Ynez Valley. When they first set eyes on the property in Ballard Canyon in 1995, they knew this was their route to a family legacy. Christine still lives on the property but Stevan passed away in 2005. Stevan Larner was an Oscar-nominated, Emmy winning cinematographer who spent much of his early career in Europe where he first learned to love wine.”
“When the couple found the ranch property in Ballard Canyon, they set about clearing the land to plant vineyards in a place that had never before been cultivated. It was amazing to see the land toiled by machines, and analyze the soil and weather. Son Michael Larner took care of all the soil and geology matters, and the land told the family what to plant: Rhône varietals. And the rest is history.”
“Winemaker & Vineyard Manager Michael Larner earned his Master’s Degree in Viticulture & Enology at the University of California, Davis and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His formal training in wine continued with cellar apprenticeships at Marchesi Antinori’s Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Bolgheri, Tuscany) and E. Guigal’s Château d’Ampuis (Rhône Valley, France). He previously worked with Santa Ynez-based wineries Babcock Winery and Rusack Vineyards. He has been making wine since 1999.”
“Michael is co-founder of the Ballard Canyon AVA and recently served as president of this newly-founded AVA (American Viticulture Area). Ballard Canyon is one of our nation’s smallest AVAs and is focused on the production of quality Syrah.”
“Michael’s sister, Monica Larner, is a wine writer based in Rome. Following ten years as Italian Editor with Wine Enthusiast, she now reviews Italian wine for Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate. Monica takes a smaller role at the winery, but continues to contribute her knowledge in the final wines: from blends to aging time.”
Michael Larner is our guest to gently pull the cork on all that is Larner Vineyard & Winery.
“Travel fans can journey across the USA on epic trails and fascinating road trips featuring history, heritage, food and culture with the new, 9th season of “Travels with Darley,” launching on PBS stations January 2022. Six new episodes bring the series to a total of 51 half hours.”
“There are so many great places to discover right in our own backyards! With the pandemic, I wanted to highlight destinations within the USA, like our national parks and forests, that are perfect for social distancing, as well as trails and road trip routes that share important history and heritage,” said Darley Newman, the series host and creator. “I’m particularly excited about our Alabama’s Civil Rights Trail episodes in the lead up to Black History Month. I was able to interview activists and artists who lived through the Civil Rights movement, many of whom have never had their stories filmed, making the content truly special.”
“Travels with Darley’s” new season takes viewers along Alabama’s Civil Rights Trail and includes never-before-seen interviews with women who were child activists during the movement, including Rosa Parks protégé Doris Crenshaw. Along South Carolina’s new Liberty Trail, Newman visits Revolutionary War sites, many of which are lesser known, to bring the breadth of American history to life. Along New York’s new 750-mile Empire State Trail, Newman enlists locals to explore craft breweries, cycling and culture.”
“Wisconsin’s Northwoods and the vast Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest set the stage for mountain biking, fishing and hikes along the North Country Trail. In Grand County, Colorado, Newman saddles up on horses and mountain bikes at sustainable dude ranches, national forests and parks. Newman joins local experts and guides in each location to help travelers discover insider-tips and hidden gems.”
Wandering Travel Authority Darley Newman is our guest.
Our own Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant Group provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where Chef Andrew responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries.
It’s the start of yet another challenging year for chefs and restaurants.
Dealing with uncertainty is a daily obstacle. We’ll get an informed update on the current state of affairs for chefs and restaurants. Managing multiple concerns is the order of the day. Is more desperately needed Federal Aid for small, independent restaurants even a possibility?
Podcasts
Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Chef Vida Virgillito of the Gone Loco Spicy Food Truck, Long Beach
Segment Three: Restaurateur Sylvie Gabriele, Love & Salt, Manhattan Beach, 10 Days of RE:Her 2022
Segment Four: Michael Larner, Winemaker & Vineyard Manager, Larner Vineyard & Winery, Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley Part One
Segment Five: Michael Larner, Winemaker & Vineyard Manager, Larner Vineyard & Winery, Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley Part Two
Segment Six: Darley Newman, Travel Journalist, PBS’ “Travels with Darley” Part One
Segment Seven: Darley Newman, Travel Journalist, PBS’ “Travels with Darley” Part Two
Segment Eight: Chef & Co-Host Andrew Gruel of Slapfish with “Ask the Chef”
